Scottish Executive

Culture

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to implement the recommendations of the Council of Europe Committee of Experts' report into the Charter for Regional or Minority Languages; whether it will provide the Scottish Language Resource Centre (SLRC) with any additional funding to implement those recommendations and, if not, how it envisages implementation of the recommendations will be achieved, and whether it intends to consult the SLRC, or other organisations, on the recommendations and, if so, who it will consult and when.

Mr Frank McAveety: The Executive is committed to policies which will enable it to work toward meeting those Charter obligations for which it has responsibility, including those covered in the recommendations of the Council of Europe Committee of Experts.

  The aims of the Scots Language Resource Centre, which receives funding from the Scottish Arts Council, relate only to one of the recommendations of the Committee of Experts, "to create conditions for the use of Scots . . . in public life, through the adoption of a language policy and concrete measures, in co-operation with the speakers of the language". This will be considered within the context of the Scottish Executive's National Languages Strategy which will be developed in consultation with all relevant interests later this year.

Culture

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-7400 by Mr Frank McAveety on 4 May 2004, who will be involved in developing the National Language Strategy referred to in the answer.

Mr Frank McAveety: The National Language Strategy is a partnership commitment of the Scottish Executive and as such is the responsibility of Scottish ministers, working with relevant interests where appropriate.

Drug Misuse

Bill Aitken (Glasgow) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many registered drug abusers there are in the Greater Glasgow NHS Board area.

Hugh Henry: There is no central register which records details of individuals who have drug problems. However, the University of Glasgow study "Estimating the National and Local Prevalence of Problem Drug Misuse in Scotland" (November 2001), estimated that there were 15,975 people in the Greater Glasgow NHS Board area who were misusing opiate drugs and benzodiazepines. An updated version of this study will be published in the autumn.

Drug Misuse

Bill Aitken (Glasgow) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many injecting drug abusers there are in the Greater Glasgow NHS Board area.

Hugh Henry: The study referred to in the answer given to question S2W-8128 on 25 May 2004 estimated that there were 7,187 drug injectors in the Greater Glasgow NHS Board area. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

Drug Misuse

Bill Aitken (Glasgow) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people are being supplied with methadone in the Greater Glasgow NHS Board area.

Hugh Henry: It is estimated that there are 7,055 people in receipt of methadone treatment for their drug problems.

Education

Miss Annabel Goldie (West of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the national curriculum provides for schools to allow pupils aged 14 and over to pursue supplementary education in further education (FE) colleges and, if so, which schools are participating in such a scheme.

Euan Robson: The circular "Guidance on Flexibility in the Curriculum" encourages schools to use curriculum flexibility, which may include courses at FE colleges, to meet the needs of individual pupils. The Executive is currently conducting a review of such collaboration between schools and FE colleges, including provision for pupils aged 14 and over. While the Executive does not hold comprehensive information on which schools offer this opportunity, latest figures from the Scottish Further Education Funding Council (SFEFC) show that there were 41,926 SFEFC-funded enrolments of pupils over 14 in FE colleges in 2002-03.

Employment

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding in each local authority area has been allocated through Sure Start.

Tavish Scott: GAE (Grant Aided Expenditure) allocations for each local authority in Scotland for Sure Start are shown in the table.

  


Council

2004-05 Allocation
(£ Million)



Aberdeen City

1,172



Aberdeenshire

1,437



Angus

702



Argyll and Bute

604



Clackmannanshire

350



Dumfries and Galloway

1,032



Dundee City

1,239



East Ayrshire

907



East Dunbartonshire

483



East Lothian

583



East Renfrewshire

446



Edinburgh, City of

2,750



Eilean Siar

200



Falkirk

971



Fife

2,383



Glasgow City

5,978



Highland

1,551



Inverclyde

659



Midlothian

562



Moray

530



North Ayrshire

1,098



North Lanarkshire

2,468



Orkney Islands

136



Perth and Kinross

844



Renfrewshire

1,274



Scottish Borders

670



Shetland Islands

180



South Ayrshire

670



South Lanarkshire

2,060



Stirling

575



West Dunbartonshire

832



West Lothian

1,186



Scotland

36,531



  GAE allocations are not allocations of funding as such. They form part of a complex formula used to calculate a single Revenue Support Grant figure for each local authority which covers all grant–aided local authority services. It is for each local authority to decide on its spending on individual services based on local needs and priorities.

Environment

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to tighten the system of pollution monitoring for the pollution emissions register.

Allan Wilson: The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) is currently implementing systems and business processes to manage the collection of data included in the agency's pollution emissions inventory. These will include the verification by SEPA's inspectors of the accuracy of all data submitted by the operators of installations included in the inventory. SEPA is also preparing guidance notes for operators and internal staff to ensure that data are reported and verified in a consistent manner.

Fertility Treatment

Mr Stewart Maxwell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans are in place to ensure that every person who requires drugs for fertility treatment receives a fair and equal service across Scotland and that best practice in this area amongst NHS boards becomes normal practice in all boards.

Malcolm Chisholm: The report of Expert Advisory Group on Infertility Services in Scotland (EAGISS) was published in February 2000. This report provides a robust evidence base for the management and delivery of infertility services in NHS Scotland.

  One of the principal outcomes of this work was to produce eligibility criteria for accessing NHS funded assisted conception. To ensure equity of access to treatment, NHS boards have been asked to implement the report as existing resources allow and bearing in mind local and national priorities.

  For details of these criteria, you can access a copy of the Expert Group's report at:

  http://www.show.scot.nhs.uk/Publications/ME/eagiss.pdf

  The prescription of fertility drugs is an integral part of infertility treatment. The expert group noted that where couples meet the eligibility criteria and are accepted for NHS-funded IVF, then health board funding should cover the total costs of the IVF cycle including the costs of the drugs required for ovarian suppression and subsequent super-ovulation.

Fisheries

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimate is of the final expenditure under the 2003 fishing vessel decommissioning scheme and, if this is less than the total of £40 million, whether the unused surplus will be earmarked for other financial assistance to the fishing industry and, if not, for what purpose it will be used.

Ross Finnie: We made provision for expenditure of up to £40 million on the 2003 decommissioning scheme. In the event, expenditure on decommissioning is expected to come to just over £30.5 million.

  Any funds allocated to decommissioning and not used for that purpose will be available for reallocation. Ministers will collectively consider that reallocation in the light of present and future spending priorities. An announcement on the use of all 2003-04 under spend will be made in due course by the Minister for Finance and Public Services.

Gaelic

Tricia Marwick (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to give parents a legal right to choose Gaelic medium education through the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Bill.  The member has provided the following Gaelic translation:  A dh' fhaighneachd de Riaghaltas na h-Alba a bheil e an dùil coir laghail a thoirt do phàrantan gus Foghlam tro Mheadhan na Gàidhlig a thaghadh ann am Bile na Gàidhlig (Alba).

Tricia Marwick (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to develop opportunities for adults to learn Gaelic through the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Bill.  The member has provided the following Gaelic translation:  A dh' fhaighneachd de Riaghaltas na h-Alba a bheil e an dùil cothroman a leudachadh tro Bhile na Gàidhlig (Alba) airson inbhich a tha airson Gàidhlig ionnsachadh.

Tricia Marwick (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many responses it received during the consultation period on the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Bill.  The member has provided the following Gaelic translation:  A dh' fhaighneachd de Riaghaltas na h-Alba cò mheud freagairt a fhuair e rè an àm co-chomhairleachaidh air Bile na Gàidhlig (Alba).

Tricia Marwick (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with representatives of the Gaelic Media Service whilst developing the final draft of the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Bill.  The member has provided the following Gaelic translation:  A dh' fhaighneachd de Riaghaltas na h-Alba de na còmhraidhean a bh' aige le riochdairean bho Sheirbheis nam Meadhanan Gàidhlig is e a' dèanamh na dreachd mu dheireadh de Bhile na Gàidhlig (Alba).

Tricia Marwick (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Bill and whether it intends the Bill to be approved by the Parliament by the time of the National Mod of 2004.  The member has provided the following Gaelic translation:  A dh' fhaighneachd de Riaghaltas na h-Alba cuine a dh' fhoillsicheas e Bile na Gàidhlig (Alba) agus a dh' fhaighneachd a bheil e airson is gun aontaich a' Phàrlamaid ris a' bhile ron Mhòd Nàiseanta Rìoghail 2004.

Tricia Marwick (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps it is taking to involve the Council of Europe monitoring team that reported on the Scottish Executive's progress with regard to the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages in the development of the final draft of the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Bill.  The member has provided the following Gaelic translation:  A dh' fhaighneachd de Riaghaltas na h-Alba dè na ceumannan a tha e a' gabhail gus cothrom a thoirt don sgioba sgrùdaidh aig Comhairle na h-Eòrpa a rinn aithris air adhartas Riaghaltas na h-Alba a thaobh Cairt Eòrpach nam Mion-chànain gus pàirt a ghabhail ann a bhith a' dèanamh na dreachd mu dheireadh de Bhile na Gàidhlig (Alba).

Tricia Marwick (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with representatives of BBC Scotland whilst developing the final draft of the Gaelic Language (Scotland) Bill.  The member has provided the following Gaelic translation:  A dh' fhaighneachd de Riaghaltas na h-Alba de na còmhraidhean a bh' aige le riochdairean bho BhBC Alba is e a' dèanamh na dreachd mu dheireadh de Bhile na Gàidhlig (Alba).

Peter Peacock: The Scottish Executive published the draft Gaelic Bill for consultation on 10 October 2003. The Executive received over 3,400 responses from local authorities, public bodies including BBC Scotland and the Gaelic Media Service, Gaelic interest groups and from individuals.

  The consultation responses received by the Executive commented on a wide range of Gaelic related subjects, including Gaelic medium education at school and Gaelic learning opportunities for adults. It is now the responsibility of Scottish ministers to prepare a Gaelic bill for introduction to the Scottish Parliament later this year. In doing this they will take account of the wider policy context, the consultation responses received and the Council of Europe's Committee of Experts Report.

  The Executive has provided the following Gaelic translation:

  Dh'fhoillsich Riaghaltas na h-Alba an dreachd Bhile Gàidhlig airson comhairleachadh air 10 Dàmhair 2003. Fhuair an Riaghaltas còrr air 3,400 freagairt bho ùghdarrasan ionadail, buidhnean poballach leithid BBC Alba agus Seirbheis nam Meadhanan Gàidhlig, buidhnean Gàidhlig agus bho dhaoine fa-leth.

  Anns na freagairtean a fhuair an Riaghaltas tron chomhairleachadh chaidh iomradh a thoirt air raon farsaing de chuspairean Gàidhlig a bha a' gabhail a-steach foghlam-sgoile meadhan Gàidhlig agus cothroman do dh'inbhich a thaobh a bhith ag ionnsachadh na Gàidhlig. Tha e na uallach a-nis air Ministearan na h-Alba bile Gàidhlig a dhealbh a thèid fa chomhair Pàrlamaid na h-Alba nas fhaide air adhart sa bhliadhna seo. Ann a bhith a' dèanamh seo bheir iad suim den cho-theacsa poileasaidh san fharsaingeachd, na freagairtean a chaidh fhaighinn tron chomhairleachadh agus Aithisg Comataidh Eòlaichean Chomhairle na h-Eòrpa

Health

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-7671 by Malcolm Chisholm on 5 May 2004, whether it will provide further details of the scientific research and evidence to support the statement that the DTwP-Hib vaccine has been demonstrated to give more effective protection against whooping cough (pertussis) than the DTaP-Hib alternative, specifying the author, journal of publication and where the research was conducted.

Malcolm Chisholm: The reasons for preferring high quality DTwP products over DTaP vaccine for primary immunisation are fully explored in the paper Overview of Recent Clinical Trials of Acellular Pertussis Vaccines (Miller E ) published in Biologicals (1999) Vol. 27; 79-86. This paper, which is a review of trials conducted in Sweden, Italy, Senegal and Germany, identified that "with the exception of the five component vaccine, acellular vaccines are less efficacious than a good whole cell vaccine". At present, five component acellular vaccines are not available in the UK.

Health

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the exact geographical locations were of each laboratory-confirmed case of measles in (a) 2002 and (b) 2003.

Malcolm Chisholm: Within the constraints of medical confidentiality and the need to avoid the inadvertent identification of individual patients, the information is as follows:

  2002

  There was a total of four laboratory-confirmed cases, with: three in Fife, and one in Lothian

  2003

  There was a total of 15 laboratory-confirmed cases, with: three in Greater Glasgow, three in Tayside, four associated with Argyll and Clyde, one in an island board, and four others in temporary accommodation.

Health

Shona Robison (Dundee East) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many NHS patients requiring a cardiac in-patient or daycase procedure were treated outwith the United Kingdom in each quarter since March 2003, broken down by the NHS board area in which the patient resided.

Malcolm Chisholm: The specific information requested is not available centrally.

Hospitals

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when it now expects the programme to end mixed-sex wards to be completed.

Malcolm Chisholm: Aberdeen Royal Infirmary and Stobhill Hospital will have eliminated the remaining small number of mixed-sex wards by the autumn of this year. However, potential delays in the re-placement of the Royal Edinburgh Hospital have required proposals to be developed to ensure that the current accommodation provides for privacy and dignity of patients at all times. These arrangements will be agreed with the Local Health Council.

Justice

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will introduce legislation to establish a Scottish Human Rights Commission, as referred to in A Partnership for a Better Scotland .

Cathy Jamieson: The responses to the second public consultation on the proposals to establish a Scottish Human Rights Commission, along with a report providing an analysis of those responses, were published on 4 May 2004. Those responses are being considered by the Executive, and an announcement on the way forward will be made once that consideration has been completed.

Lottery Funding

Alex Fergusson (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many staff working in the NHS are funded through (a) lottery funding and (b) charitable donations.

Mr Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested is not held centrally.

Ministerial Meetings

Richard Lochhead (North East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-22478 by Patricia Ferguson on 12 February 2002, how many joint ministerial committees (JMC) and sub-committees have been convened since 8 November 2001, where each meeting took place, which minister attended, and what was discussed.

Patricia Ferguson: The table below provides a complete list of Scottish Executive Ministerial attendance at all JMC meetings that have taken place since 7 October 1999:

  Paragraph A1.11 of the Memorandum of Understanding and Supplementary Agreements between the UK Government and the Devolved Administrations describes the remit and structure of the joint ministerial committee. It provides that "the proceedings of each meeting of the JMC will be regarded as confidential by the participants, in order to permit free and candid discussion," and therefore the issues discussed at each meeting are not disclosed.

  Joint Ministerial Committee - Meetings Since 1999

  


Subject

Date

Venue

Scottish Minister



Plenary

01-Sep-00 

Edinburgh 

First Minister and Deputy First Minister



Plenary

30-Oct-01 

Cardiff 

First Minister and Deputy First Minister



Plenary

22-Oct-02 

London 

First Minister and Deputy First Minister



Europe 

01-Mar-01 

London 

Minister for Education, Europe and External Affairs and Deputy Minister for Education, Europe and External Affairs 



Europe 

08-Nov-01 

London 

No Scottish Minister was able to participate



Europe 

07-Mar-02 

London 

Deputy First Minister



Europe 

11-Jun-02 

London 

Deputy First Minister



Europe 

27-Sep-02 

London 

First Minister 



Europe 

22-Oct-02 

London 

First Minister & Deputy First Minister



Europe 

30-Jan-03 

London 

Deputy Minister for Education and Young People



Europe 

06-Oct-03 

London 

Minister for Finance and Public Services



Europe 

01-Dec-03 

London 

First Minister



Europe 

15-Jan-04 

London 

Minister for Health and Community Care



Europe 

03-Feb-04 

London 

Minister for Health and Community Care



Europe 

24-Feb-04 

London 

No Scottish Minister was able to participate.



Anne McGuire MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Scotland represented Scotland's interests



Europe 

18-Mar-04 

London 

Minister for Justice



Europe 

27-Apr-04 

London 

Deputy Minister for Health and Community Care



Health

07-Apr-00 

Cardiff 

First Minister and Minister for Health and Community Care



Health

05-Jun-00 

London 

Deputy First Minister and Minister for Health and Community Care



Health

16-Jun-00 

Glasgow 

Deputy First Minister and Minister for Health and Community Care



Health

26-Oct-00 

Belfast 

Minister for Health and Community Care



Knowledge Economy

11-Feb-00 

Edinburgh 

First Minister and Deputy Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning



Knowledge Economy

26-May-00

Edinburgh 

Deputy First Minister and Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning



Poverty

09-Dec-99 

London 

Minister for Children and Education and Deputy Minister for Communities



Poverty 

26-May-00

Edinburgh 

Deputy First Minister and Minister for Communities



Poverty

18-Sep-02 

London 

Minister for Finance and Public Services and Minister for Social Justice

NHS Expenditure

Dr Jean Turner (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive how total per capita expenditure in (a) cash and (b) real terms adjusted by the GDP deflator on the NHS in Scotland has compared with expenditure on the NHS in England in each year since 1990-91.

Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested is set out in the table:

  


Year

Scotland

England



Cash

At 1990-91 prices

Cash

At 1990-91 prices



1990-91

£582

£582

£465

£465



1991-92

£655

£617

£526

£496



1992-93

£718

£655

£578

£528



1993-94

£738

£655

£596

£530



1994-95

£769

£674

£628

£550



1995-96

£797

£678

£654

£557



1996-97

£826

£680

£672

£553



1997-98

£850

£682

£703

£564



1998-99

£896

£699

£740

£577



1999-2000

£967

£738

£805

£614



2000-01

£1,053

£793

£885

£666



  The figures in the previous table are on a cash basis. In 2001-02 the basis of Government accounting was changed from cash to resource, the following figures are on a resource basis:

  


Year

Scotland

England



Resource

At 1990-91 prices

Resource

At 1990-91 prices



2001-02

£1,237

£908

£1,001

£735



2002-03

£1,335

£949

£1,149

£816



2003-04

£1,443

£998

£1,278

£884



  The figures for 2001-02 and 2002-03 include capital charges at 6% while the figures for 2003-04 include capital charges at a revised rate of 3.5%.

NHS Expenditure

Dr Jean Turner (Strathkelvin and Bearsden) (Ind): To ask the Scottish Executive what total per capita (a) revenue and (b) capital expenditure on the NHS has been in each year since 1990-91.

Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested is set out in the table:

  


Year

Revenue

Capital

Total



1990-91

£551

£31

£582



1991-92

£608

£47

£655



1992-93

£668

£50

£718



1993-94

£704

£34

£738



1994-95

£740

£29

£769



1995-96

£755

£42

£797



1996-97

£792

£34

£826



1997-98

£827

£23

£850



1998-99

£874

£22

£896



1999-2000

£944

£23

£967



2000-01

£1,015

£38

£1,053



2001-02

£1,191

£46

£1,237



2002-03

£1,281

£54

£1,335



  The capital information in the previous table is drawn from a number of sources and, although broadly compatible, individual years may be on a slightly different basis. In addition the basis of Government accounting was changed from cash to resource in 2001-02 so the 2001-02 and later figures are not directly compatible with earlier figures.

Places of Worship

Mr Stewart Maxwell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2O-1992 by Cathy Jamieson on 22 April 2004, whether funding will be made directly available to places of worship for security improvements.

Cathy Jamieson: Since 2001-02, the Scottish Executive has approved grants totalling just over £1 million to improve security at sites of ethnic community worship, including at 44 mosques, synagogues and temples. Additional funding is also being provided to Scottish police forces for various security measures.

Police

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what additional funding will be allocated to Lothian and Borders Police in respect of public order and other requirements in each of the next three years and when such funding will be allocated.

Cathy Jamieson: The Police Grant Aided Expenditure (GAE) review working group will shortly make recommendations about future allocations to all police authorities, including how these allocations should reflect any disproportionate public order policing pressures in the Lothian and Borders area. Final decisions about funding to Lothian and Borders Police, both within and outwith GAE, will be taken after those recommendations have been received.

Prison Service

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of prisoners who served sentences for drug-related offences since 1999 was offered drug rehabilitation services on release and how many took up this option.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  Since the introduction of transitional care in 2002 all prisoners serving less than four years requesting drug rehabilitation services on release have been referred to community agencies. The number of prisoners who took up this offer was 3,016 (2002) and 4,067 (2003). No information is available prior to this date.

  For any prisoners serving a sentence of four years or more or any prisoner who is subject to a supervised release order or extended sentence this will be done through statutory criminal justice social work.

Public Appointments

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the post of the Chair of Scottish Arts Council will be advertised and, if so, when.

Mr Frank McAveety: In view of the ongoing Cultural Review, the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments (OCPA), who regulate appointments to the Scottish Arts Council, has agreed to an exemption from a full appointments round to recruit the next chair. OCPA has agreed that ministers may recruit a new chair from the existing council members, adopting in full the special arrangements envisaged in para 3.18 of the OCPA Code, which allow for the promotion of a member to chair, for instance in the case of the sudden resignation of the chair. OCPA has approved the process for appointing a replacement chair only for an interim period of up to two years until the Cultural Review is concluded. At that point a decision will be taken on the way forward. All existing members of council must have the opportunity to express their interest, and all candidates assessed as being suitable must be considered for the post. Candidates will be assessed by a three person appointments panel which will be chaired by a senior civil servant, include the chair of another public body, and also include an independent assessor. The decision on appointment will be made by ministers. These measures represent a robust approach which reflects the extent and significance of the appointment.

Renewable Energy

Shiona Baird (North East Scotland) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on what proportion of intermittent renewable generation can be accommodated in the Scottish grid without disruption to a secure electricity supply.

Lewis Macdonald: We have recently commissioned a study, being carried out by the University of Edinburgh in conjunction with the Scottish grid owners, which will enable an understanding of the full implications to the electricity network of the growth in, primarily intermittent, renewable generation and how this might be managed in order to maintain a secure and stable power system with sufficient reserve margins across Scotland. This study is due to be completed in March 2005.

Scottish Executive Advertising

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been spent on advertising to encourage (a) healthy living in respect of diet and nutrition and (b) taking exercise and sports participation since 1999, broken down into TV advertising and other forms of advertising.

Mr Andy Kerr: The Healthy Living campaign, which in its latest phase addresses both diet and physical activity, was first launched in January 2003.

  A detailed breakdown of the media used and costs is given below. These figures include VAT.

  2002-2003

  


TV

Radio

Press

Outdoor

Research

Production

Total



£431,885

Nil

£305,895

£269,938

£9,905

£402,702

£1,420,325



  2003-2004

  


TV

Radio

Press

Outdoor

Research

Production

Total



£237,214

£181,211

£417,928

£197,303

£50,088

£766,592

£1,850,336

Smoking

Mr Stewart Maxwell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action is being taken to use saliva swabs to determine the effect of passive smoking on people who work in bars and restaurants where smoking is permitted in some or all areas within the establishment.

Mr Tom McCabe: None.

Sport

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many children participated in (a) football, (b) rugby, (c) athletics, (d) hockey, (e) basketball, (f) volleyball, (g) swimming, (h) karate and (i) judo in each year since 1999, broken down by gender, school and level.

Mr Frank McAveety: Information is not held in the format requested. However,  sportscotland publishes annually a sports participation in Scotland digest which can be downloaded from its website.

Sport

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive why funding for football and rugby has to be allocated through sportscotland when the Scottish Rugby Union and the Scottish Football Association are recognised bodies with expertise and full-time staff.

Mr Frank McAveety: Sportscotland is the national agency for the development of sport in Scotland. It is also the distributor body for the Lottery Sports Fund in Scotland. Its remit extends well beyond football and rugby and channelling Exchequer funds through  sportscotland helps to ensure that Ministerial policies and priorities are pursued in an even-handed and consistent manner.

Student Finance

Murdo Fraser (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether Scottish-domiciled students attending English universities will be required to pay top-up fees if they are introduced and, if so, whether these will have to be paid up front.

Mr Jim Wallace: Legislation which will allow English universities to charge fees of up to £3,000 is currently being considered at Westminster. The fees will apply to students who commence courses at English universities from 2006, regardless of where in the UK they are ordinarily resident.

  The support to be provided to Scottish-domiciled students studying in England from 2006 is currently being considered and an announcement will be made in early summer.

Tartan Day

Jim Mather (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether its Scottish Affairs Office in Washington was instructed to pass on details of all invitations it received from organisations and legislatures in the United States of America inviting ministers, parliamentarians and officials to attend Tartan Day events this year.

Mr Andy Kerr: The Scottish Affairs Office in Washington has lead responsibility for the co-ordination of the Executive's participation in Tartan Day as well as liaising with Scottish-American organisations in the US. Any invitation received by the Scottish Affairs Office, or any other part of the Executive, inviting parliamentarians, parliament officials or representatives of other organisations would automatically be passed on to the appropriate organisation for them to take a decision on.

Teachers

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many vacancies there were in each local authority area at 30 April 2004 for teachers of (a) chemistry, (b) biology, (c) art, (d) drama, (e) home economics, (f) computer studies and (g) physical education.

Peter Peacock: The latest information available from the teacher vacancies survey returned by local authorities at February 2004 shows the following vacancies:

  Full-time Equivalents Teacher Vacancies in Schools

  


Local Authority

Chemistry

Biology

Art

Drama

Home Economics

Computer Studies

Physical Education



Aberdeen City

0.4

0

0

0.8

0

0

0



Aberdeenshire

1.9

3

0

0

1.7

0

0.6



Angus

0

1

0

1

0

0

0



Argyll and Bute

0

1

0

0

1

0

0



Clackmannanshire

0

0

0

0

0

0

0



Dumfries and Galloway

2

0

0

0

0

0

2



Dundee City

0

2

0

0

0

2

0



East Ayrshire

0

0

0

0

0

0

0



East Dunbartonshire

1

0

0

0

0.5

0

0



East Lothian

0

0

0

0

0

0

0



East Renfrewshire

0

1

0

0

0

0

1



Edinburgh City

0

1.5

2

0

3

0

0



Eilean Siar

0

0

0

0

1.5

1

1



Falkirk

0

2.9

0.7

0.5

0.8

1

0.8



Fife

0

0

1

1

1

0

0



Glasgow City*
 
 
 
 
 
 
 



Highland

1

1.7

0

0

1.8

0

4.8



Inverclyde

0

0

0

0

0

0

0



Midlothian

0

0

0

0

0

0

0



Moray

0

0

2

0

0

0

0



North Ayrshire

0

0

0

0

0

0

0



North Lanarkshire

2

0

2

0

4.4

4

1



Orkney

0

1

0

0

0

0

1



Perth and Kinross

0

0

0

0

1

2

0



Renfrewshire

0

0

0

0

0

0

0



Scottish Borders

0

0

0

0

2

0

1



Shetland

0

0

0

0

0

0

0



South Ayrshire

0

0

1

0

0

0

1



South Lanarkshire

1

1

0

0

0

0

0



Stirling

0

0

0

0

0

0

1



West Dunbartonshire

0

0

0

0

0

0

0



West Lothian

0

0

0

0

0

0

0



Total

9.3

16.1

8.7

3.3

18.7

10

15.2



  Note: *No return as yet.

Tourism

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive in which countries VisitScotland, rather than VisitBritain, (a) has been and (b) will be the lead agency in selling and marketing Scotland in each year from 1999 to 2005.

Mr Frank McAveety: VisitScotland has lead responsibility for marketing Scotland as a must visit destination in its key target markets. VisitScotland's current key markets include the United States of America, Germany, Sweden, France, Netherlands, Spain and Italy. Key markets are agreed on an ongoing basis with VisitBritain within the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding on overseas marketing.

Travellers

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people reside permanently in caravans and, of these, how many are travelling people.

Ms Margaret Curran: The 2001 Census records 8,187 people (4,547 households) living in a caravan or other mobile or temporary structure at the time of the census.

  The total gypsy/traveller population was estimated in July 2003 to be 1,789 people (559 households), compared with an estimate of 1,353 people (410 households) in January 2003.

  Estimates of numbers of gypsies/travellers are based on a twice yearly count in summer and winter undertaken by councils on behalf of the Executive. The aim is to provide estimates covering numbers on council sites, privately owned sites and unauthorised locations. All users of sites and encampments are included, whether they would consider themselves to be gypsies, travellers or Romany. It is also important to note that the figures include estimates, particularly for numbers on private sites and unauthorised locations.

  The full background to the methodology used to compile the estimates can be found in GYPSIES/ TRAVELLERS IN SCOTLAND The Twice-yearly Count - No. 4 : July 2003. Available on the Scottish Executive website at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/library5/social/gts4-00.asp.

Waste Disposal

Rosie Kane (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications the Scottish Environment Protection Agency has received to develop hazardous waste sites and where each such site is located.

Ross Finnie: This is an operational matter for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency.

Waste Disposal

Rosie Kane (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what resources have been earmarked for the development of new hazardous waste sites prior to the deadline of 16 July 2004 for changes to the rules on waste to landfill.

Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive does not provide landfill capacity. This is a matter for local authorities and the waste industry.

Waste Disposal

Rosie Kane (Glasgow) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive what regulations currently govern the transportation of hazardous waste from Scotland to registered sites in England.

Ross Finnie: The regulations which apply to hazardous waste are the Special Waste Regulations 1996, which apply uniformly throughout Great Britain, and consequently there are no cross-border issues. From 1 July new provisions in the Special Waste Amendment (Scotland) Regulations 2004 will apply within Scotland. These will not, however, prevent the movement of hazardous wastes between Scotland and any other part of the United Kingdom.

Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body

MSPs' Staff

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Presiding Officer what the legal basis is for its rules regarding the activities of MSPs' staff during elections.

Robert Brown (on behalf of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body): The SPCB has issued guidance, not rules, for the assistance of members and staff during election periods. This guidance makes reference to the existing practices and rules on the use of parliamentary resources under the Code of Conduct, Members' Allowances Scheme and the Equipment and Furniture Scheme which have been endorsed by Parliament. The Allowances Scheme sets out that the resources supplied to members under the scheme, which includes resources for the employment of staff, are used only for Parliamentary duties. Activities to further the interests of political parties or of candidates would not, of course, be covered by this. Any breach of the Allowances Scheme may lead to the matter being reported to the Standards Committee which has the power to impose sanctions.